Catherine Fielden

Catherine Fielden
22 Mar 2022
117
views

Wines for Spring: The best bottles to match this season’s lighter fare

As spring gets into full swing and the weather gets warmer, it’s time to welcome in the new season by topping up our wine rack with some fresh-tasting, lighter wines. To help you make your spring selections, here are some suggestions for the best wines to pour at your spring soirées and garden get-togethers. Seasonal spring fare is ...

Catherine Fielden
21 Mar 2022
109
views

How Care for Wild Wines have helped rescue and rehabilitate orphaned rhinos

Eighteen months ago, in the midst of the pandemic, the Care for Wild Wine Collection was officially launched. The virtual event was hosted by Slurp alongside brand ambassador and ex-England cricketer Darren Gough and his wife Anna. Also in attendance were a host of wine professionals, journalists, retailers and Slurp customers, all ...

Catherine Fielden
11 Mar 2022
123
views

Priorat: Robust reds from a glittering landscape

They say that all that glitters is not gold. This is certainly true in the prestigious Spanish wine region of Priorat, where its famous slate and mica soils glisten in the sunlight. The distinctive sparkly brown slate – known locally as llicorella – isn’t just striking to look at, it is also one of the reasons why Priorat’s powerful ...

Catherine Fielden
3 Mar 2022
206
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Torrontés: The white wine that is coming up smelling of roses

Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Viognier are classed as aromatic grape varieties because they give off high amounts of exuberant primary aromas, which can include fruit, floral and herbaceous notes. So chances are, if you are partial to a glass of one of these white wines, you are also going to absolutely adore the aromatic ...

Catherine Fielden
10 Feb 2022
115
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Scheid Family Wines: California Dreamin’ in the Vineyards of Monterey

If you have read the novels of John Steinbeck, you will know that Monterey County, California has for a long time been considered as “the promised land” when it comes to cultivating fruit and vegetables, thanks to its favourable marine climate and rich soils. It is with good reason that the region has become known as the “Salad Bowl of ...

Catherine Fielden
1 Feb 2022
122
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A Tour of Bordeaux

French wine labels are notoriously difficult for budding wine enthusiasts to understand. Unlike their new world counterparts which state the wine’s predominant grape varieties on the label, the French traditionally specify the area where the wine was produced and make the assumption that wine buyers know which grape varieties are used in ...

Catherine Fielden
12 Jan 2022
364
views

The Best No- and Low-Alcohol Wines to Sip This Winter

Whether you are taking a break from alcohol after all of the excesses of the festive period, cutting back to save a few calories or abstaining on religious grounds, there’s no reason to deny yourself a glass of wine anymore. The quality of zero alcohol wine is improving all the time as winemakers use advances in technology to develop great ...

Catherine Fielden
15 Dec 2021
207
views

Have yourself a very Freixenet Christmas!

The Spanish celebrate Christmas and the New Year a little differently to us. Traditionally, it isn’t Santa Claus who brings presents for well-behaved Spanish children on Christmas Eve. Instead the Three Kings or Three Wise Men (known there as the Reyes Magos) are the ones who deliver gifts during the night of 5th January. However, this only ...

Catherine Fielden
22 Oct 2021
46
views

Hopes are riding on an alcohol duty freeze in next week’s budget

On 27 October, Chancellor Rishi Sunak will deliver his Budget and Spending Review to the House of Commons as he seeks to rebalance the books after borrowing billions in order to protect the economy during the Covid pandemic. However, there is concern that the Chancellor – who is teetotal – will raise alcohol duty in his upcoming ...

Catherine Fielden
24 Sep 2021
142
views

Autumn wines to savour

As summer gradually drifts into autumn and leaves start to turn from green into a dazzling array of reds, oranges and golds, we tend to crave more textural, weightier wines with a little more spice. Rather than reaching for a light, thirst-quenching white or rosé that was just the ticket on a hot summer’s day, autumn is a great time to ...